We're delighted to welcome Jack Berkenstock Jr. of +The Bodhana Group Inc back onto the mics with us! Jack previously joined us on STG 25, when he introduced us to the idea of roleplaying games as an adjunct therapeutic tool for children who were victims and perpetrators of sexual abuse, among others. This time, he’s here to talk more about RPGs in treatment for social skills, grief, loss, and more. He's also got news about Save Against Fear, Bodhana's annual gaming convention, which is coming up in October this year.

Plus: A conversation about which Saturday morning cartoons we'd turn into RPGs; Jack's insatiable appetite for Ghostbusters; /r/ChristianDnD; and much, much more!

Adam Davis and Adam Johns from +Wheelhouse Workshop join us to discuss how and why they use Dungeons & Dragons in social skills therapy! Their Seattle-based organization has been doing this for a couple of years now, and they’ve got a lot to say. (We’ve also worked with Adam and Adam previously on some Game to Grow content.) We also tackle a question from Patreon supporter Francisco (of the Retro Rewind Podcast) about replacing our favorite RPGs with board games in a pinch, and Grant briefly describes his trip to Electric City Comic-Con 2017 and his terrible-but-awesome decision to help his daughter get into the Pokémon TCG.

Adam and Adam then discuss Wheelhouse Workshop’s work: Why RPGs in general, and D&D in particular, are useful therapeutic tools; how a game session in their offices differs from your usual tabletop session; their house rules for their games; some success stories and interesting moments; and much more. Also, we mention in passing Monte Cook Games’ The Strange and Microscope, both of which are excellent games.

For more information about Wheelhouse Workshop, visit their website or find them on Twitter and Facebook.

Adam Davis and Adam Johns from +Wheelhouse Workshop join us to discuss how and why they use Dungeons & Dragons in social skills therapy! Their Seattle-based organization has been doing this for a couple of years now, and they’ve got a lot to say. (We’ve also worked with Adam and Adam previously on some Game to Grow content.) We also tackle a question from Patreon supporter Francisco (of the Retro Rewind Podcast) about replacing our favorite RPGs with board games in a pinch, and Grant briefly describes his trip to Electric City Comic-Con 2017 and his terrible-but-awesome decision to help his daughter get into the Pokémon TCG.

Adam and Adam then discuss Wheelhouse Workshop’s work: Why RPGs in general, and D&D in particular, are useful therapeutic tools; how a game session in their offices differs from your usual tabletop session; their house rules for their games; some success stories and interesting moments; and much more. Also, we mention in passing Monte Cook Games’ The Strange and Microscope, both of which are excellent games.

For more information about Wheelhouse Workshop, visit their website or find them on Twitter and Facebook.

Matthew Surber, Program Director at the West River Center, joins us to discuss applying good counseling principles to our games! Trust, safety, bonds, empathy, and saying 'yes'—how ought we work these into our games? Plus, a question from a Patreon backer about broad skills and narrow skills; Canada's nuclear wildlife; and more.

Be sure to check the full show notes for links to everything mentioned during the episode!

Matthew Surber, Program Director at the West River Center, joins us to discuss applying good counseling principles to our games! Trust, safety, bonds, empathy, and saying 'yes'—how ought we work these into our games? Plus, a question from a Patreon backer about broad skills and narrow skills; Canada's nuclear wildlife; and more.

Be sure to check the full show notes for links to everything mentioned during the episode!

Our series on the Ten Commandments continues with a discussion of the Sabbath! What "keep the Sabbath" means and for whom; why it's in this list of God's commandments; and how this idea of holy, restorative rest applies to our games and our lives. We also spend a little time on Patreon updates; Jenny has some Battletech errata to issue; and we tackle a supporter's question about our favorite RPG characters.

Our series on the Ten Commandments continues with a discussion of the Sabbath! What "keep the Sabbath" means and for whom; why it's in this list of God's commandments; and how this idea of holy, restorative rest applies to our games and our lives. We also spend a little time on Patreon updates; Jenny has some Battletech errata to issue; and we tackle a supporter's question about our favorite RPG characters.

"[...] I realized that I wasn’t looking to learn something creative. I was looking to learn something—to re-engage the love of learning I still identified with, but had let fall dormant over the past few years. I’d originally defined the problem, and thus the set of potential solutions, incorrectly from the moment I started looking at it; and I’d spent over a year frustrated because the solutions weren’t right for the actual problem."

It's a rare, but heartfelt, blog post from +Grant Woodward this week. Enjoy, and speak with tongues of fire.

It’s a special bonus episode this week, as Jenny and Peter recap their Fear the Con experiences! Peter also recently wrote about his very emotional slot 6 game, and if you haven’t read that yet, you really should. Special thanks to everyone involved in planning and producing Fear the Con; everyone we gamed with; and everyone who helped with the charity drive for Pat this year!

Also, our apologies for any audio issues in this episode; this was recorded on a single microphone designed for one person, so there was a lot of handing the mic back and forth. (On the other hand, this was recorded on Jenny’s new audio equipment, so look forward to a better sound from her on future episodes!)

ANOTHER chicken church. WEDS. #Inspirobot. Gatekeeping. Declarations of faith. Magical IT and telecom infrastructure. Vacation. System Mastery's "Expounded Universe" podcast. And the strangest, most heartbreaking article about homeless kids in Miami and their complex, syncretic mythology.